010 Off Limits

Lilith’s POV

Looking at his smily face, I wasn’t sure if I could trust him.

I mean, yes, I was grateful that he saved me from the storm. Lycoris’s nose was never wrong so it had to be him. Also, he just stepped up for me. I ought to trust him.

But I had never seen him before.

Not the kind like, another pack member that I just never talked to, but like, a soul that I had never seen in this pack, and I had been going to some events with the Lady. I wouldn’t dare say that I have seen everyone in the whole pack, but at least I knew every face of the betas and gammas.

So where could such a high rank appear from thin air, to help me no less?

“Didn’t know that you are back in the pack, Grant,” Hannah smiled at him, and instantly I felt danger--

They knew each other. Moreover, they were familiar with each other!

Before I could snap out of the shock, Hannah added, “Shouldn’t you be on the snow mountain, taking care of him?”

HIM? I frowned when everyone, the two guards included, tensed up when they heard that word.

With a smile, Grant answered nicely, not appearing to be offended at all, “You are right, so that means you know who sent me, if I were to tell you that I’m here to look into why a little wolf was lost in the storm last week...I presume?”

Hannah’s smile faded. She glared at Beta Grant for a moment, only to let out a light snort and look away.

Beta Grant turned to me, still with that polite smile: “Miss?”

He was here to investigate...my accident? Whoever he was. Whoever that “him” was who he worked for. He was Hannah’s enemy, and that meant he was not mine.

“Gamma Hannah accused me of bullying him,” I nodded at Dominic on the ground, “and--”

“Yes,” Beta Grant nodded, “I heard everything, including the ‘attaboy’ from you when that poor little wolf crashed his head open.”

Hannah giggled, giving Beta Grant a push on his arm like they were old friends.

I hesitated. Were they friends? Was he hostile?

“Lilith, enough with the farce,” Orion came up to me, pulling me to the side and whispering into my ear, “You would rather beg a random person than ask me? Apologize and I will let you walk free!”

“There is no need for you to meddle with this matter, Gamma Orion,” Beta Grant suddenly raised his voice, for some reason his voice was suddenly much more stern and cold, “...since you chose to watch on the side earlier already.”

Even if Orion really wanted to help, I wouldn’t want to take it at the price of my dignity. He no longer cared about me, and I would rather bet on justice, rather than using his power that came with a heavy price.

“Dominic offered me a ride!” I said loudly for everyone to hear, “Hannah has always been jealous of me so she came and started throwing accusations--”

“Jealous of YOU?!” Hannah let out a sharp laugh, “I watched you kick Dominic on the leg and jumped onto his back! I watched you pinch his ears and ride him all the way here! How dare you--”

“I thought you said you were in the dorm?” I asked, and Hannah froze.

That was what I had been waiting for her to say.

I had no evidence, but I bet it was Hannah and her two friends who were ambushing me when Dominic jumped on the road. I won that bet.

Her friends would take her side and testify to anything she said, of course. But they already testified that she was in the dorm when the “bullying” happened. If I tried to pin Hannah at the spot, they would deny it. But if I lied about what happened, Hannah would want to object to me.

After all, Dominic failed to bully me and got bullied instead, that much was true.

Beta Grant burst into laughter, looking at me with a bright light in his eyes, as if just seeing me for the first time, “I'm beginning to understand why he saved you now. You ARE interesting.”

“HE” saved me? The “him” that everyone avoided talking about?

“I--I mean! I saw you--” Hannah wouldn’t let it go.

“From the dorm? A mile away? To see that I not only jumped on Dominic’s back, but pinched his ear?” I grabbed tightly on her lie, “That’s some amazing sight alright. Or you were saying that you lied just to pin some crime on me?”

Hannah’s ears turned beet-red. She was not used to this -- revealing her true color in public. She had always managed to paint herself as the generous beta, the strong, sunny, friendly elite girl that everyone loved. Besides, not too many would go toe-to-toe with her willingly.

Me neither. She cornered me into this.

I locked my eyes on Beta Grant, waiting to see if betting on him was the right choice.

“I think I have heard enough,” Beta Grant curved his lips at me, “you are off the hook, little one.”

I frowned at that nickname. He was talking about Lycoris. He brought us home when Lycoris was in control -- the runt with extremely small size.

“But she--” Hannah’s eyes were wide like bells at Beta Grant’s judgment, “she hurt Dominic, AND she lied--”

“You lied, too,” Beta Grant said quietly, “I guess I CAN sentence 30 whips to both of you. Would you rather that I do so?”

Hannah stomped her foot at Beta Grant, more like a kid throwing a tantrum than angry: “Grant! I’ll let HIM know that you bullied me!”

I tasted an unusual closeness between Hannah and the mysterious “him”, and the feeling of the person who saved my life has a connection with Hannah gives me a weird, uncomfortable twist in my stomach, like somehow I owe her, too.

Beta Grant bowed lightly at Hannah: “I can deliver the message FOR you, considering the snow mountain is off-limits now, even to you.”